Exclusively revealed in this mock-up, the livery and name for ACLG's newly preserved 87002.

We have been following the debate over which livery 87002 should be painted on many enthusiast forums, since this is by far the most important factor in saving the loco in the first place.

The following liveries have been ruled out as unacceptable by enthusiasts:

BR Blue (despite matching our 'irrelevant' and 'rancid' 86101 and the Cargo-D Mk3 rake with which it's likely to work) because there are too many blue electrics about (I can verify this is true - there are exactly two others on the main line); Porterbrook Purple is in mixed contention: some want it retained because they don't yet have a decent photo of it, some want it removed because it's purple; InterCity Executive is acceptable, but only if the Cargo-D rake is partially reliveried to make a typical mixed-livery set from the late 1980s; InterCity Swallow is favoured by many but only if the Cargo-D Mk3 set is completely repainted to match; Bulgarian Green/Yellow has been ruled out because it's rancid, even with yellow ends; Virgin is too recent; and Electric Blue can't be used because 86259 is already painted that colour (but not for any other more obvious reason).

ACLG's previous decision to paint 87002 Rail Blue and reinstate the Royal Sovereign nameplates received so many negative responses that a new livery has been devised to avoid any historical accuracy and simply provide a protective coating for the bodywork. The result is presented in the above mock-up, and I'm sure you'll agree, will go very well with any stock to which it's attached.

In case you can't make out the nameplate, it reads The National Association of Livery Frothers and Impassioned Colour Scheme Opinion Formers - the real plates are currently being cast by Newton Replicas.

* It's not too hard: ACLG = preservation group; ETL = ACLG's company used to run locos on the main line; ETS = the company overhauling the 87s for export.